Kiss it Better
by BE-Mistress
Summary: Gippal waits with Rikku for Brother to come pick her up from Djose... ONESHOT.


A/N: Fairly new to the FFX/X2 game world, so I apologize if I get anything wrong. Feel free to correct me.

It's a little… errms. But I've been working on this for nearly a month now (snorts) if you can believe it... Their personalities may be a bit weird in the beginning, but I hope I've made it clear why by the end. I _tried_ not to make the storyline so **predictable**. Random, subtle-plot oneshots are my thing lately. And I'm sorry if this fic gets boring lol.

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Kiss it Better  
_1FRICKENgirl_

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"I never thought of you as being shy," she said, a hint of amusement caught in her bubbly voice. "Your big, fat head is always grabbing for attention." She stuck out her tongue playfully as the words left her mouth, making an attempt to provoke an animated reply from him.

But he was too exhausted to take the bait this time. Instead, he smiled lightly, turning away from her and glancing out at the storm clouds that were gathering in the distance. His expression was frozen like that for a while – a soft, unemotional smile, his eye fixed on the dark sky, one leg pulled close to his chest where his arm lazily draped over it, and the other leg lazily sprawled out on the rocky slope. He didn't feel in the mood to joke with her.

She stretched her arms out above her head, letting out a loud yawn before jogging back up the slope towards him. "What, you're not going to argue back?" she asked, adding a deliberate roughness to her voice so he'd seem like a coward. "Hmpth. Maybe you _are_ shy, you _wuss_."

He didn't respond.

"Hey, I know! Let's play a game!" She leapt up onto the ledge and crawled over to sit beside him. She swung her scarf behind her back so her arm could move freely. "I'll arm wrestle you! I've gotten _so_ much stronger lately! You're _so_ going down this time, Gippal!"

He leaned more relaxingly against the wall of the station, closing his eyes so that all he heard was the faint rumbling of thunder, the high-pitched chirps of a nearby bird's nest, and the sound of his friend's hyperactive voice. If she yelled any louder, she'd start to remind him of his Aunt Jehna and their meeting that morning. And no matter how much he wanted to forget it ever happened, it was the only thing his mind kept recalling.

She pulled back her arm in disappointment. "Hey, man. Why aren't you talking to me?" Her shoulders slumped cutely and she flicked at the soles of her boots, an irrepressible feeling of guilt beginning to churn in her gut. "I… I'm sorry I called you a wuss," she mumbled after a while.

He chuckled lightly at her innocent apology, and turned around to face her. He ruffled her hair teasingly, and immediately her head shot up with anticipation, surprised that she'd gotten a response out of him. Now she knew what would come next! He'd say something mean, she'd say something back, and they'd start arguing again like normal. But at least, that way, she'd know that things were back to normal. She liked normal.

But instead, he said something else. And within a second she was thrown into complete disarray. "You're cute, Cid's Girl."

She felt a horrifying trail of goose-bumps pop out from underneath her skin, climbing up her arm, over her shoulders and down her back with a frightening chill. _What did he just say? Did she hear him right?_ It was her turn to be quiet now. And she inched away from him to lean back against her own portion of the Faction's station's wall, contemplating what she could have possibly done to make him say such a thing.

He watched her in confusion as she scrambled away, his arm falling back down at his side. _Did he just call her 'cute'?_ He groaned inwardly, scrunching his face in frustration at how easily he'd let his emotions slip. _Wouldn't Aunt Jehna be happy to see him now?_ But maybe she assumed he was just joking around with her. Maybe she didn't notice. He turned his gaze to look down at her, but she broke their stare immediately. An ominous roar of thunder erupted in the distance.

She flinched slightly, her hands gripping tightly onto the loose pebbles on the ground until their uneven edges painfully jabbed into her skin. She knew it was going to be a big storm. The whole of Djose was warned of it days in advance to stay indoors. If only she'd listen before she came. If she did, she wouldn't have been stuck in the awkward situation she was in now. She idly looked up at him, and this time he broke their stare first.

It was beginning to get stupid, he thought to himself. One little comment and then suddenly they fell silent and were afraid to even make eye contact. She didn't even know about his conversation with Aunt Jehna. She had no reason to suspect a thing other than he was just jokingly flirting with her like he did all the other attractive – yes, attractive – women he met. With a sigh, he turned to her and said, "You wann' go inside?" But then he realized that perhaps that wasn't the best subsequent question after a seemingly flirtatious statement. Her eyes were budging in alarm. "…Because of the rain and all, you know. And you're scared of lightning, right?" he tried to make clearer his intention.

She hesitated for a moment before her eyes left his face and fixated on the dark cluster of clouds approaching the temple, as if noticing them for the first time. "Yeah… But just a bit…" she mumbled so quietly, he hardly even heard her.

He stood up, brushing the dust off of his pants. "Might as well get you somethin' to eat. It'll be a couple of hours before it's safe enough for Brother to come and pick you up." He walked over to her and offered a hand.

She smiled gently at him, but stood up on her own. She hesitated for a moment as she tried to think of a way to escape. She was growing unusually uncomfortable being with him. _What if… What if he liked her? What if he really thought she was 'cute'? What would happen next? _"I – I think I'll go find a local restaurant or something… I don't want to… cause you anymore trouble."

He raised his eyebrow at her strange plan. "What are you talkin' about?" He laughed. "You're gonna make _your own_ snack. I'm sure as hell ain't gonna do it."

She relaxed a bit upon hearing his smug tone of voice. She liked it when he was normal; when he was acting all arrogant and conceited. Because at least that way, he was predictable. And predictably was good. "Meanie," she said, her hands impulsively finding their way to her hips. "You're never nice to _anyone_," she scowled in her typical teasing tone.

Usually, he wouldn't have taken offense at that statement, but something about what Aunt Jehna had told him earlier made her accusation more significant. _He wasn't mean _all _the time, was he? Was that why he never had a stable relationship?_ Guiltily, he spread out his arms, trying to make a caring gesture. "Fine, I'll do it. But don't blame me if you die afterwards."

She blinked in disbelief. He wasn't supposed to... agree. He was supposed to say, '_Well too bad, Cid's Girl, 'cause I ain't your babysitter._' This weird behaviour of his was beginning to worry her. _He really _did _like her, didn't he? He wanted her to be his next girlfriend, didn't he? DIDN'T HE?_ She stepped back nervously. "I'll do it myself."

He leaned towards her. "I'll do it."

She walked back again. "No, I'll do it."

"I said _I'll_ do it," he replied, a bit more forcefully.

"And I said _I'll _do it!" she exclaimed, taking another step back and suddenly slipping. She tripped over the ledge and tumbled down the eleven meters of rocky, jagged slope before rolling over on her stomach, lying motionless.

"RIKKU!" he shouted, racing down the steep gradient, stumbling every few seconds. But he never turned his attention away from her fallen form, scratched and bruised all over. He felt a guilt like no other, knowing fully well that if he hadn't argued with her, she would've been fine.

When he reached the flat surface, he turned her on her back and lifted her head into his arms, patting her cheek frantically and calling her name so she'd open her eyes. She groaned before doing so, moaning in pain about the bruises on her legs and a bloody gash on her forehead. He asked her if she thought she broke anything, and she replied with a negative shake of her head. He then attempted to lift her up, but she let out an instant cry of agony. At this, he knew that there was no way he would be able to climb the rocky slopes with her badly injured in his arms. There was a good chance he'd fall from the extra weight and loose rocks, hurting them both.

And then, it began to rain.

Lightly at first, but within a few minutes it became a vicious downfall, lightning crackling in the sky and a menacing thunder shaking the ground beneath them. The slope was definitely too slippery and unsafe to climb now. There was no place they could go for shelter, and neither of them had any useful supplies on hand.

A flash of lightning burst through the clouds and lit up the sky in a seraphic purple, followed by Heaven's roaring laughter as a large pool of water began to form around them. He was kneeling on the ground. Her body, aside from her head, was soaking in the puddle. Feeling guilty once again, he sat in the water with her, pushing her legs to her chest, and wrapping as much of his body around her shaking form. She was trembling in fear, crying so hard that it challenged the thundering booms above.

"Shh… it's alright, Kid," he tried to sooth her. He cautiously tightened his grip around her, afraid he was pressing into her wounds. "Don't worry. I ain't goin' anywhere."

She heard him alright. She heard his words loud and clear. But she tried to block them out. _Why was he saying these things to her? Why was he being so sweet? Why was he acting like they were a couple?_ Because if they _did_ become a couple, she knew what would happen next. He would sleep with her, rid of her, and break her heart. It was predictable, but this wasn't the type of predictability she liked.

She wanted to pull away from him, but something inside of her told her she was being childish. Nobody said he was actually interested in her! He was just trying to be a friend. A little flirty comment here, a small heroic rescue there… it wasn't like it _meant_ anything.

Suddenly, he brushed his thumb against her chin, lifting her head up gently to face him. He gave her a comforting smile as he gestured towards another path right below them. "There's an opening down there. You think you can make it?" It wasn't that far away, and from his position, it looked like it would comfortably fit at least one of them. It was better than lying on the open ground, drenched in the muddy puddle.

She followed his gaze and her eyes rested upon the small cave-like opening. She shook her head instantly.

He raised his eyebrow. "Why not? I'll carry you if it hurts so much." He flinched as the words left his mouth. He was sounding more and more like her boyfriend rather than 'just an old friend'. And he didn't know if he wanted to push it any further than that. He mentally decided that if she refused again, then he'd agree to it. No more pushing.

"No."

OOkay… He looked around them again, scanning the rocky slopes and then at the menacing clouds above. He felt the cold water seep through to his skin. "Fine."

She jumped slightly at his icy tone. _He was just trying to help… Why couldn't she just get over it? _Because she couldn't stop thinking about where this would lead. Her and him. Small, tight little cave. Wet and cold. Alone. And she bit her lip because a guilty part of her wanted exactly that, and yet another, more sensible part, told her no. Told her she wouldn't be able to handle the consequences.

But then she began to feel a bit childish. He was just being Gippal. Good ol' flirtatious '_don't worry Baby, I'm gonna be here for you'_ Gippal. She was reading too much into it, and she hated it.

Shifting slightly in his hold, she carefully placed one arm behind him and gripped his shoulder. "I – I guess it's kinda stupid to be sitting out here though," she sniffed in between painful sobs. She wasn't used to not healing herself for so long after an injury.

He nodded with a smirk. "Yeah, real stupid."

She fastened her other arm around his same shoulder and pushed herself closer toward him. "Okay, let's go."

He looked down at her stiff expression, trying to suppress some sort of odd feeling inside of her. Her lips were tightly curled into a strange shape as her eyes intently focused on the ground beneath them and were clearly avoiding his. "Sure?"

She nodded, and waited for him to lift her up and go. But he didn't. He was still, and his hands firm around her thighs and arm. "Sure?" he repeated, quieter, softer, cautiously.

And she nodded once more, and waited once more but he didn't move. And when she finally mustered the courage to look up at him, there he was. Not more than an inch away and staring at her with an unreadable expression in his eye. Nervous tingles ran through her, and she felt her wounds go numb just staring at him. And then, with a strange determination on his face, he leaned in.

She liked him, she knew that. But she just couldn't risk getting hurt. Not now. So she turned her head back down, and pressed against his chest with a whimper, not daring to look into his offended gaze as his lips stumbled into her hair. She heard him bite back a sigh of what sounded like regret, before falsely laughing it off.

Finally, he stood, with her securely in his arms. "Just wanted to kiss it better, you know," he said in a nonchalant voice. "Wasn't tryin' to be romantic and shit."

She clenched her teeth and nodded as they continued toward the small opening. His head was deliberately raised above hers, and his arms only holding as firmly as was necessary to keep her up. He wouldn't look at her.

She wished she would get over her paranoia. Maybe he would be true and faithful this time. Maybe he's changed. Maybe she was different to him. Then again, maybe she wasn't. She didn't want to risk it.

She told herself she was just shy.

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_Thanks for reading. **Please Review.** _Oneshot? 


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